Red Panda Goddess

The Fateful Meeting

I sat alone on a large rock at the top of the large waterfall staring at the moon thinking to myself, “is it really true? How can it be? I’ve never believed in anything like that...spirits, gods and goddesses, magical beings, that just isn’t logical to me. Yeah of course I want a genie to be real and grant me some wishes, but it’s not like I really believe it’s gonna happen...” when suddenly I get interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Who are you talking to?”

I was really not aware nor did I have much care for anything when I first met Xiaozuo Cheng. Mainly because I had just lost a girl I really loved, lost one of my best friends, lost my job, and even lost my truck which I loved dearly. I was in no place to really care about anything, my heart and mind were sorely empty. But it all changed when I was grocery shopping for my brother in the local supermarket one day and I ran into this old Chinese guy by accident in the produce section and I dropped a couple of things. He reached down and helped me pick everything up apologizing to me and I apologized back saying, “No it’s my fault I’m sorry, I’m just not myself recently.” To which he replied.

“To be ones self is not the act of accepting reality, but finding the lucky chance to change their reality.” And I didn’t think much of it at the time but I said thank you sir and went about my way. Later while in the line at the only register open the Chinese man popped up behind me with just a few items in his shopping cart. So I offered to let him go in front me as a courtesy for being nice to me earlier, he gracefully bowed saying thank you and moved up in line. There were two people ahead of us, a big lady with two kids who were screaming because she wouldn’t buy them candy and a guy who looked like he never missed an hour at the gym who was angry and giving the clerk a hard time for being a little slow. I had noticed I’ve seen her working in here before but never on the register so I knew she must’ve still been kind of new to it. Although I knew I should’ve kept my nose in my own business I couldn’t stand much more of the screaming kids, screaming lady, screaming angry muscle guy, and the clerk about to bust into tears and the managers in the office booth just minding their own business. So I ask the older Chinese gentleman to hold my place in line and if he would watch my things for a moment and he graciously said yes and I walked up to the lady and kids and asked what they wanted, seeing them up close I noticed that this woman hasn’t had a job or bath in a long time and neither have the kids. And I got them both their candy after ripping the barcode off for scanning. Then I walked around the line and asked the guy to calm down just a little and lower his voice, to which he replied. “Why don’t you mind your own god damned opinion and get the f**k out of my face!” And he drew back his hand like he was going to punch me, I’m guessing he thought I was going to flinch, but I’ve taken punches from much worse than a steroid jerk. Just before I could open my mouth to reply I get a gun to the back of my head telling me to move so I step to the right a few steps and he moves over to the clerk who is now crying almost uncontrollably. The muscle guy pulls out a gun as well and holds it in the air telling everyone to get down. The two managers in the office booth drop to the ground before he could finish saying the words, “couple of wimps...” I thought to myself. I decide to speak up since the only people left standing now are the two gunmen, the clerk, the Chinese gentleman, and myself.

“Hey, so what do you plan to do? Since your buddy here has been making a fool of himself for the past 10 minutes screaming at this poor girl, who is very cute and shouldn’t be treated like that, come on guy?! Really?” They both look at me like I’m an i***t, “so everyone has seen your face, sunglasses don’t make up for anything, and you with the ski mask...really? It’s summer, you’ve got to be burning up in there...” after insulting both of them they turn their guns on me. “Oh no, you don’t wanna do that. Just trust me you wanna keep them far away from me.” For some reason I had just then noticed the clerk was chewing gum but had stopped when they started the gun show, and in her frightened panic and constant sobbing from crying she sucked the gum down her throat and started to freak out. I noticed the worry on the two guys faces since I was sure they weren’t planning on killing anyone, and just as soon their focus from me dropped I grabbed the gun from ski mask guy and pushed the magazine drop button and shoved the slide back ejecting the bullet from the chamber all while shoving the gun into his face knocking him to the ground. I do a full swing and grab onto the muscle guys gun lodging my ring on my right hand onto the hammer to keep it from firing since it was a revolver. All still in a fluid turning motion I use my left leg to sweep his legs and he hits his head on the register behind him knocking him out. I release the hammer and empty the bullets from the gun and quickly move back over to ski mask guy who is still holding his nose lying on the ground and drive my right knee into his jaw and stripping the gun from his hand and tossing it. Then I quickly slide across the floor to the clerk who has just fell to the floor and I reach down her throat and pull out the gum but she still wasn’t breathing so I started to do CPR. I heard sirens getting closer and all I could think was thank god my job is almost over...wait this isn’t my job...oh well nobody else jumped in to help. I had to cut her bra on the side of the cup pad to get a clear path to her sternum and after 4 sets of chest compressions and 3 attempts to give her breath she finally came to with a big gasp of air coughing loudly and I rolled her onto her left side and buttoned her shirt back up. I leaned back and laid on the floor for a minute and I felt the girl grab my hand as she whispered thank you. Just before I was able to respond to her I had a cop pointing his gun at me commanding that I turn over, throw the knife away, and put my hands on my head. “Alright alright occifer, but listen make sure the girl gets checked out by paramedics ASAP she was choking on a piece of gum after these two...” before I could finish the overweight cop had his knee on my upper back and lower neck crushing my ability to breathe after I just got done giving my breath to someone else. The paramedics had the girl outside as I watched the other two guys get carried to cop vans for escorts to a hospital, the girl walked over to the police car I was in and knocked on the window across from me so I slid over as best as I could and she blew me a kiss saying thank you so much and I smiled and said no problem.

Later that day I was sitting in a holding cell waiting for them to get finished with my processing when a guy in a very nice suit comes up and forces me to get up and come with him. The guard opens my cell and I follow them to the interrogation room where I’m forced to watch a series of security footages where they have caught me “playing hero” and fleeing the scene. With each video I get the question, “what made you do that?” To which almost all of my responses were, “they pissed me off...” the man proceeded to question me again and again about why I intervene on these criminals? Why don’t I just become a cop or security guard? Why don’t I leave the cop work to the cops? And many other questions, I eventually grew tired of his redundant questions and finally decided to speak up.

“Alright listen, I grew up in a small town full of people who were more bass ackward than a drunk man in a house of mirrors blindfolded. I joined the Boy Scouts at a kind of young age, I loved cartoons, comics, nerdy stuff, music, and not a whole lot of grown up or ‘manly’ stuff. So you could guess the bullying I suffered because of it. Plus I wasn’t good with the ladies, I was always a little chubby, and not very athletic until I started thinking one day I’m gonna have to defend myself. So I started just making myself mimic the moves of Jackie Chan in everything he done, in turn I learned how to disarm people, take guns apart, fight with my body and weapons, and most of all deal with bullies. I hate bullies, anybody being picked on for any reason is just cruel. I believe in being an individual and doing what you think is right. Justice is not something you can claim to do as a cop and not do your job. And now I’m finished with your questions because you pissed me off.” I leaned back in my chair and put my hands behind my back to have them put cuffs back on.

“Alright then kid, but I got one more question. Who’s the Chinese guy?” He points to the man who was standing in line still in the video.

“I don’t know, I bumped into him earlier in the store but I don’t know him. Why?” I replied with frustration in my voice.

“Because he just bailed you out of here, so you better start getting your thanks ready.” He motions to the guard to let me out. “Before you go let me warn you, vigilantes aren’t heroes.”

“Duly noted,” I said while giving him a sideways look as I walked out. I grabbed my keys and wallet from the clerk and realized they took my money. “Hey I had $250 in here. What gives?”

“You were involved in an attempted robbery so your money was forfeit.”

“Umm, no...I stopped the robbery, give me my money.” I exclaimed with heightened frustration.

“Please move on and leave or we will be forced to arrest you again.” The overweight lady behind the desk closes the window and proceeds to flash my money in front of me and sticks it in her purse. I decide to swallow my pride and move on thinking my brother is probably worried about me and...damn! The groceries! I never even got around to that either. As I approached the exit I noticed the Chinese man standing under the awning next to the parking lot. I’m thinking, “why did he do this?” I walk outside and greet him. “Hey, uh...thanks a whole lot for that. They were trying to pin me down for being with those guys and even took my money for it. So really again, thank you very dearly... oh and my name is Mark by the way.” I extend my hand to shake. He turns to me and puts my hand into a fist then takes my left hand open and puts them together then he does the same all without saying a word and bows to me. I bow back.

“Xiaozou Cheng.” He says respectfully.

“It’s nice to meet you Xia...”

He interrupts, “no! Just Mr. Cheng for you.” He turns and starts walking to an old Volvo car.

“Sorry, Mr. Cheng.” I said kind of shakily.

“Come, we have much to discuss.” He never even hesitates. So I reluctantly follow him and get in his car.